Rachal: 'I bring a lot of physicality'

SFI staff

04/25/2008

Chilo Rachal comes from mean streets of Compton, which claimed the lives of his two older brothers. Now he's coming to the 49ers after a junior season at Southern California that established him as one of the nation's top-rated interior offensive linemen. Here, in his first interview as a 49er, Rachal talks about joining the team and what he brings on the field.

Q: What were your motivations for entering the draft after your junior season?
Rachal: My mom had a tumor in her stomach and doesn't have insurance. I pretty much had to do what was best at the time.

Q: How is she doing?
Rachal: She's doing a lot better now that she got some treatment. She got a shot recently to shrink the tumor, but if it doesn't shrink it, then they will have to cut into her to remove it, but she is doing a lot better than what she has been previously. It isn't cancerous.

Q: Were you expecting to get drafted at this point?
Rachal: Not really.

Q: What were your expectations for the draft?
Rachal: I expected to get drafted the first day, but my agent was saying probably towards the end of the second round. Pretty much the second round, but not this high in the second.

Q: Do you remember any of the specifics about your interview with the 49ers at the NFL Combine?
Rachal: I just remember them feeling me out as a person. A lot of people didn't know that much about me because I wasn't supposed to come out, but then the health issue occurred, so you know how that went.

Q: What side of the line do you feel more comfortable on?
Rachal: Either side.

Q: Have you worked at right tackle before?
Rachal: I played tackle at USC during practice a little bit, but never during any real game time situations.

Q: Do you see yourself as potentially working as a right tackle?
Rachal: Wherever the team needs my help, that's where I can go. I can contribute anywhere I can play.

Q: What's the origin behind your first name of Chilo?
Rachal: My dad got that from the Bible. There's no real origin, but it's unique and different.

Q: How do you describe yourself as a player?
Rachal: I bring a lot of physicality to the game. I'm a competitor that's not going to give up. I'm going to give it all I got every time.

Q: Some reports say you play with a sense of urgency. How do you describe that?
Rachal: I'm always on the move. I'm always trying to get things done correctly, but also the right way. I don't waste a lot of time doing it. I'm always up and pay attention to detail.

Q: Are you kind of a high-strung guy?
Rachal: Yeah, you could say that.

Q: Chilo, do you know anything about the 49ers, specifically the offensive line?
Rachal: My favorite player plays for them in Larry Allen. The guy I resemble myself to, compare myself too.

Q: How do you feel that you might be the guy replacing Larry Allen for the 49ers?
Rachal: Boy, I couldn't really answer that. Those are really big shoes to fill. It feels really, really good. It feels pretty good to have the opportunity to work behind somebody who he is.

Q: You must be happy to be going to a team in California, so you can be close to your family with everything going on with your mom?
Rachal: Very happy. My mom and dad will be able too drive a little five-hour drive down, and come see the games. Yeah, I'm very happy. I kind of stay close to home. Very happy.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your family? I saw that you had two brothers who passed away?
Rachal: My family is pretty good. Two brothers passed, I have one brother now, that's with me now. Just keeping positive, motivated. I have my mom, dad, and one sister. My two brothers have passed. We had same dads, but different mothers. They were raised in LA. I was raised in Compton. I had a rough upbringing, but I was always the one in the family that made the right decisions.

Q: What happened to your two brothers?
Rachal: They were out in the streets. I don't know the full details because one was killed when I was born, and the other was killed when I was eight. I guess they were out doing something they had no business doing.

Q: Were they killed in street violence?
Rachal: Street violence, yes. One was 18, and the other was 23.

Q: Can you comment on your pass blocking skills?
Rachal: They're good, but they can get better. There are a lot of areas for improvement, but I feel that I do a pretty good job.

Q: In an ideal world, would you have stayed for your senior year?
Rachal: Correct.

Q: Was this a hard decision for you to make?
Rachal: It was very hard because I did want to return for my senior year to get my degree, and to be the first in my family to have a scholarship to a college. After my mother's situation at the time, I didn't have a choice. I had to do what was best for my family at the time.